


For Him

by Michael_Ackart



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, F/F, M/M, MEBB 2016, Mass Effect Big Bang, No Sex, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-13 23:41:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7143173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michael_Ackart/pseuds/Michael_Ackart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten years have passed since Shepard ended the reaper war. During a time meant to celebrate this, a failed assassination attempt prompts the Council to send Ryder to investigate. Her search sends her across the galaxy to uncover secrets and the motives behind the attack</p><p>((Written for the Mass Effect Big Bang 2016))</p><p>
  <i>Art by <b>emrorshack</b> on tumblr!</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **michael:** I wanna give a HUGE thank you to my friend and beta, alectually on tumblr. They really gave me the extra push I needed to sign up and finally write this story out and they've been very helpful in beta'ing for me and giving me feedback. Emrorshack did a fantastic job on the art! I'm so happy with it, thank you SO MUCH for pinch hitting my fic. Seriously, it means a bunch to me. And of course, thank you to Azzy_Darling for running this whole thing and being super helpful whenever any issues arose. This is my first time participating in the MEBB and I had a great time
> 
>  **morgan:** I picked this story up as a pinch hit and i could not have been more lucky! I adored the new characters, and the renditions of the old, and the melding of the two. If you're looking for a story that ties Mass Effect: Andromeda's "Ryder" in with the aftermath of the reaper invasion and the old Normandy crew, this story comes highly recommended! I've only illustrated a fraction of this story (and not very well lmao); there is much more to this than what meets the eye.

An alarm blaring the latest hit from Thessia's most popular singer went off at seven in the morning, standard galactic time. A dark hand groggily reached for the button to turn it off and then a loud yawn came from the lump underneath a single blanket. The same hand reached back to the other side of the bed, knowing it'd meet with nothing but cool recycled Citadel air.

A couple minutes passed before the figure finally stretched and sat up. The blanket fell to the person's lap and revealed a woman in her early thirties. She ran a hand through her short black hair, not quite used to the new length yet, and yawned one more time before standing up. As she slowly walked across the room to the bathroom, she pressed a few buttons on her omni-tool.

“Hello?”

“Morning, babe,” the woman said as she opened the medicine cabinet to grab toothpaste.

“Morning, Luna. I see you're finally awake,” another feminine voice, this one belonging to an asari, laughed over the line.

“Hey, it's still early. I didn't even hit the snooze button.” Just as she held the toothbrush to her mouth, she remembered that she wanted coffee and that coffee and toothpaste didn't mix well. With a sigh, she rinsed it clean and went into the kitchen.

“I know, just teasing.”

“What time did you leave this morning?”

“An hour ago. Irissa needed me early, the Council is meeting with those diplomats from Irune.”

“You think they're finally gonna give the volus a seat on the Council?” She took a sip of the piping hot sugary coffee and sighed happily. She was glad her girlfriend left the pot on for her.

“No,” she laughed.

“It's not nice to laugh at the poor volus, Nyssa.” She could practically hear her eyes rolling.

“What are you up to today?”

She shrugged then remembered Nyssa couldn't see her. “Don't know. They haven't given me any spectre missions since I came back from Virmire last week. Do you know why that is?”

“You know I have nothing to do with that, Spectre Ryder.”

“Ooh, so formal.”

“I'm sure it's because of the ceremony at the end of the week. They'll want as many spectres there as possible, especially humanity's only current one. You...do remember, right? To commemorate the end of the reaper war? Luna, did you forget?”

“No! My memory is spectacular. Jeez...I can't believe it's been a decade. I was practically a kid when they sent me to London.”

“Twenty-one is young. But you survived and persevered and it's how you got to where you are now.”

“Yeah. Hey, I should let you go back to work. Just wanted to say good morning. I'll probably call my parents and see what they're up to before I get ready. Want to meet for lunch?”

“Mhm. I'll call you later.”

“Kay. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Ryder leaned against the counter and took a few minutes to relax and fully wake up. She glanced around the sparse kitchen, knowing she and Nyssa should plan a day to stock the cupboards and buy the rest of the things needed for the apartment. They had only recently moved to the Citadel together but their schedules were usually so busy.

“Oh wait...” she murmured to herself, realizing she basically had the day off if she chose—though she'd much rather help C-Sec out with any work than go to the store to replace their microwave. Bored with her own thoughts, she put her empty mug in the sink and went over to the vid screen to call her parents. The last time she called was just a few days ago but not over the screen so they hadn't seen-

“Oh my god, you cut your hair off!”

She grinned. “Hey, Dad, good to see you too.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. But your _hair._ ”

“Hey, I told you Virmire was like a jungle. It was way too hot to keep that style up.”

“You were there for less than a week.”

“I'm starting to think you don't like it.”

“Luna, honey, you always look beautiful. I'm just surprised. It's been years since your hair's been so short.”

“I know. I'm still getting used to it.”

Her mom, being a doctor, was already at work so just she and her dad talked for a while. She still missed living on Earth sometimes and disliked being away from her parents and grandparents and cousins she'd grown up with, but the Citadel was the best place for her and her girlfriend. Their jobs demanded close proximity to the galaxy's busiest place and Ryder _did_ enjoy living there. It was expensive but worth it.

An hour later, she was showered, dressed, and walking through the Presidium. She glanced at the statue in the middle. There were just too many names to list on a memorial wall, the reapers had killed millions. A decade later and it still unnerved her to see one flying across the sky. They helped with reconstruction and these days kept mostly to themselves but she still didn't trust them. Like most people, she wondered just what the hell Commander Shepard had done to make them docile.

Just one more enigma for the history books.

Of course Ryder hadn't forgotten about the ceremony. It was going to be an enormous event, a celebration of their survival, the end of the reaper war. The former crew members of the Normandy would be there—the ones still alive—and there would be a moment of silence for Commander Shepard, the man who sacrificed himself so the rest of the galaxy could have a future. She fought in London the same time he did, though they never met. Still he was the first human spectre, a savior, a legend, a model of what to aspire to. She was proud to be the third human Spectre.

She tried not to think about the second one. The story made her sad. Though from what she'd seen and read, he too was a hero in his own right.

Ryder helped a few people in the Presidium with small tasks. Others sometimes sneered at her for taking on 'menial' work but she had always enjoyed helping people. If running an errand or lifting some crates lessened someone else's burden even a little, then it wasn't a waste.

Nyssa eventually called her again and they met up at a cafe for a quick lunch. The volus diplomats had already left but work never stopped. Next, more preparations for the ceremony needed to be made, which meant the asari was in for another busy week.

“We just found out General Vakarian is coming earlier than expected,” Nyssa groaned.

“Why is that a bad thing?” Ryder asked before biting into her sandwich.

“The security detail isn't ready yet nor the suites where the Normandy crew is staying so I'll have to rush that on top of the hundred other things that need to be done.”

“Vakarian isn't going to care about that.”

“Oh, I'm sure he'd prefer not to have C-Sec following him around but it's a precaution the Council wants to take for the ceremony. Being the ten year anniversary, who knows if some Cerberus sympathizer is waiting for an opportunity to strike. Though I'm willing to guess the general will quickly find a way to ditch them.”

“It's been ten years. The galaxy's been making a steady recovery, the Citadel races are starting to thrive again. I doubt something like that's going to happen.”

“I agree. But we still need to be cautious. The last thing anyone wants is for something to go wrong, this is supposed to be a celebration.”

“Yeah. When's he get here?”

“Early tomorrow morning. Quentius is supposed to greet him personally. That being said, I don't know when I'll be home tonight.”

Ryder frowned. “I'll wait up for you. You've been working so hard.”

She sighed. “We both have. I can't wait until we're able to take a vacation. We can go visit your family on Earth, stay in Thessia for a while...”

“I look forward to traveling the galaxy with you, babe.” She leaned over for a small kiss and smiled at Nyssa.

They had to part ways soon after and Ryder walked alone to a small tea shop run by a human couple. Nyssa thought it was okay but it was one of Luna's favorites. She ordered and paid the few credits it cost then waited as they made her drink. Her fingers absentmindedly tapped on the hard surface of an empty table. The sound eventually caught her attention and she looked down. She watched her own fingers move, sometimes it was easy to forget that things were different now. She still looked the same and it'd been so long that she couldn't remember if she felt all that different from before the war, before Shepard did whatever it was that made the reapers cooperative...and beyond that, changed organic and synthetic life.

Despite her love for technology, she never tried to dwell on it too much. It wasn't her area of expertise (well, really, was it _anyone's_ ) but she supposed she was stronger now, her body able to take much more than it used to—although she did give most credit to her intensive training over the last decade.

The young man announced her name—Luna, just in case anyone happened to know who 'Ryder' was—and she grabbed her drink, dismissing her previous line of thought. As she took a sip of the lightly sugared drink and walked back outside, she hoped they didn't keep Nyssa working too late. A dim hope though, she knew they would.

Hours later and Ryder was proven right. Nyssa walked through the door of their apartment at some point in the night cycle. She starting heating up dinner as the asari quickly showered and changed into something more comfortable.

“How'd it go?” Luna asked when she returned to the kitchen and sat at the table.

“I'm exhausted,” she yawned. “But we got most things in order.”

“That's good. It's been a crazy few weeks.”

“I know. I'm trying to decide if I want to go to bed after dinner or curl up on the couch with you and drink that bottle of wine.”

“It'd do you some good to unwind before you try to sleep. Otherwise you'll just lay awake in bed.”

“I had a feeling you'd say that.”

10101010101

Ryder was the lighter sleeper of the pair but both of them were jolted awake by the sound of Nyssa's phone. Luna had no idea what time it was and the curtains were pulled over the windows to block out the artificial sunlight. She rubbed at her eyes tiredly but when her girlfriend exclaimed, “Is he okay?” she was fully alert.

“Okay, okay. I'll be there right away. Yes, I'll let her know,” the asari said and then ended the call.

“What happened?” Luna asked, not even giving Nyssa a chance to explain.

“That was Irissa. Someone tried to attack the turian councilor in his office this morning,” she said. She jumped out of bed quickly to get ready. “He was able to fight them off but they escaped. C-Sec's already there and searching the area.”

“What? Why would they attack?”

“They think someone was trying to plant something in his office. He arrived earlier than normal because General Vakarian is here, which I guess the attacker wasn't expecting. When Quentius walked in, they fought and then they escaped. Vakarian chased after them but they got away.”

“Holy fuck. I should go-”

“No. C-Sec's going to finish up at the scene and then the Council will decide what to do from there. But Irissa said to tell you to keep you phone ready.”

Ryder didn't like being told to wait. She was a Spectre with experience, she could take over the investigation or work with C-Sec if they really wanted that. Besides Nyssa worked directly for the asari councilor. What if this person targeted the others? She knew Nyssa would lay down her life for Irissa if necessary and that terrified her. She hated waiting but she couldn't disobey a direct order.

“I'll call you as soon as I can, okay?” Nyssa said, rushing out from the bathroom and opening her closet.

“I'd rather go with you but okay. Just...be careful? I know you can hold your own in a fight but we don't know who did this, their motivations...” She knew she was about to start rambling because she was worried and Nyssa stopped a moment to stand in front of her.

“It'll be okay, Luna. We've both been in situations much more...dire.” The asari scrunched her face. “Don't tell anyone I said that. This is plenty dire. You know what I mean.”

“I know, I know. I'm just impatient.” She watched Nyssa walk into her closet then reemerge thirty seconds later fully dressed. If she hadn't been right beside her, she'd have no idea the asari was sleeping barely ten minutes prior.

“Alright, bye.” She kissed Luna's forehead before leaving the human alone.

With a heavy sigh, she fell backwards onto the bed. A minute later, she pushed herself up to shower and get dressed. It was only when she went to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat that she remembered to check the time. It was much earlier than she initially planned to be awake.

When her omni-tool rang, Ryder simply assumed it'd be Nyssa or Irissa. But then it was the human councilor's face appearing on her screen.

“Ramirez,” she greeted.

“Hello, Ryder. I know you're aware of the situation down here. The Council wants you to come to Quentius' office immediately. We'll fill you in on the details in person.”

“Okay, I'll be there right away.”

“Thank you, Spectre.”

The call disconnected and Ryder wasted no time. She left the apartment and got a cab. Ten minutes later, she parked and hurriedly walked through doors until she saw where a few people were gathered. “Ramirez,” she called.

The man glanced up and waved her over. “Hey, Ryder. C-Sec's doing one last sweep of Quentius' office.”

“So what happened?”

He sighed. “As you know, the old Normandy crew is coming to the Citadel for the ceremony this week. General Vakarian arrived earlier than anticipated so Quentius came here before the rest of us to prepare. No one knows how it happened but there was someone already in his office, we think they were rigging some sort of device to go off later. But they were caught off guard and when Quentius walked in, they immediately attacked. We may not see much physical action here, but that old turian still has some fight in him.”

“Is he harmed?”

He shook his head. “Nothing major. He did call for help but by the time anyone else came, the person jumped out of the window.”

“What? Isn't the ground outside three floors down?”

“Yes.”

“And _nobody_ saw that? What about camera footage?”

“That's the thing—somebody did. Vakarian is here and was on the ground floor. He was able to chase them.”

Her eyes widened. “And they still escaped?”

“Mhm. You should talk to him, he and Quentius are in the next room over. The cameras were hacked, the footage is grainy. Someone will try to smooth it out but the man or woman was cloaked so I don't know how much it'll help.”

“Okay. I'll find Vakarian and Quentius and see what they have to say.”

The two turians were just outside the office. Quentius bid someone from C-Sec away and waved Ryder over.

“Ramirez said he'd tell you the details,” the councilor said.

“He did, then told me to find you.”

He nodded. “Also, Spectre Ryder, this is General Garrus Vakarian.”

She reached out to shake the turian's hand. “Honor to finally meet you, General.”

“Eh, just Garrus is fine. And likewise. Just wish the situation was better.”

“Of course.”

Quentius reiterated his side of the morning's events—a cloaked figure, the fight, and the jump out the window. “I couldn't get a good look at him, to be honest I think it was a man but maybe not. Human, light-skinned, I could tell that much. His movements...were almost jerky at points. He said nothing. Just saw me and pounced. When others were running down the hallway, he shoved me back and ran through the window. I will say, the strength needed to shatter that glass is incredible. And from there, Vakarian pursued him.”

“I'll take her into your office to see the damage,” Garrus said. “Then we can retrace the path we took during the chase.”

“Was this truly an assassination attempt?” Ryder asked as they walked off.

“Yeah. C-Sec found the remnants of a makeshift explosive under his desk. Course, they had to call in a squad to make sure it was inoperable. But it looks like this guy simply forgot it during the flurry. Pretty amateur move for someone able to sneak in here.” The office door opened and the people inside looked at them. They nodded to the spectre and general before continuing their work. “Come look at this. He pushed Quentius here, bolted to the window,” Garrus ran over to demonstrate, Ryder right behind, “then jumped.”

“That's quite the fall,” she said as she looked out over the edge.

“It is. He got a head start but damn was he quick too. Let's head outside.” A couple minutes later they were standing where the person had landed. “We heard the crash and I told the others to check on the councilor. Whoever he is, he knows the Citadel well because he knew exactly what little back alleys to take.” They were walking now and Garrus pointed at a sharp corner leading into a narrow path. “I followed him through here. Tried to get him to stop but of course he didn't listen so I pulled my gun out and shot at him at the end.”

“No blood and he still got away. No surprise he wore armor. How'd he lose you?”

“He jumped in a car. The building overhead blocked my view once they drove up. C-Sec's been searching but there's no sign. In and out like a damn ghost.”

They turned a couple more corners and Ryder understood why this guy had to be familiar with the layout. This area was a maze. The car pick up had to be calculated as well, she thought once they reached the end. The buildings provided perfect cover. She leaned against the railing and looked down at the Presidium.

“There's more you should know, Ryder.”

She straightened and faced Garrus, who suddenly looked much more glum.

“Maybe during the fight or when he fell, I think his mask slipped. His mouth was covered but I noticed him take off his goggles during our chase.” He paused for a moment and crossed his arms. “I know what he looks like from behind,” he said almost cryptically and Ryder was very confused. “We used to spend a lot of time running away from danger, I've seen his back. I wasn't thinking, just reacting, but before he reached the car, I yelled out 'Shepard.' No reaction, like anybody sane would expect. But when I said _Cal,_ he glanced back before hauling himself over this damn railing. I know how it sounds, C-Sec thinks I'm crazy.” He breathed out harshly, frustrated—at what exactly Ryder couldn't be sure.

“You're one of the few people alive who knows what happened to Shepard—you know more than the rest of us anyways. If this person, if he somehow is the commander, then Shepard just tried to murder a Councilor.”

“I know. I'm not saying it _is_ him but if it was, something about him was very wrong. Obviously he wouldn't be in the right state of mind. I knew all the rumors, I know what people used to say about Cal. But for everything he was, he was a _good_ man. For all the fights and arguments with the Council, he would never do something like this.” He shrugged. “Do what you will with my speculation, Spectre. I've given you and C-Sec all the information I know.”

“Thank you, General...Garrus. I know this must be hard for you.”

“He and Kaidan were good friends to me. We went through a lot together. It's tough coming for a celebration when neither of them is here.”

“I'm sure it is.”

They shared a few moments of quietness high above the Presidium before Garrus turned away. “Guess we should head back to the Council.”

She made a sound in agreement and the pair returned to the Chambers. Ryder couldn't know but the general's mind was swirling with thoughts and decade old memories. She distantly wondered if this chamber looked the same as it did back then—when Garrus, Shepard, and Alenko were here fighting Saren _and_ Sovereign.

How many times had this place needed to be rebuilt?


	2. Chapter 2

The four Councilors were together when they arrived. Irissa broke away from them to talk to the human spectre.

“Ryder,” she said. “We're officially putting you in charge of this investigation.”

“I will find whoever is responsible for this and stop them before they can do anymore harm,” she vowed. Galactic politics weren't perfect, she knew that. But to actually kill a Councilor? That certainly wasn't the way to get things done. What would motivate someone to do this?

They discussed things for a few more minutes before she separated from the Council to talk to C-Sec. The officers had finished sweeping Quentius' office and declared it safe to be in once more—the first thing being done was bringing someone in to repair the window. The person in charge of the C-Sec investigation was a woman named Captain Morris and that was who Ryder spoke to.

“We're just about to transport the explosive down to headquarters. It's over here if you want to take a look, Spectre. No fingerprints whatsoever. The explosive is rudimentary in design. Whoever built it was either in a hurry or they possess little knowledge about bombs. It would've been sloppy...but effective.”

“And we have no leads? Besides 'pale white guy.'”

“Potentially Shepard,” the captain said quietly.

“Potentially Shepard. But...”

“Spectre, I have nothing but the utmost respect for General Vakarian. But we both know how his comments sound. While the galaxy should be celebrating this ten year anniversary, for him it's probably just one big reminder of how much he misses his friend. They may have never found a body but Shepard died during the launch of the crucible. C-Sec will focus its attention on—quite frankly—things that are plausible.”

“We don't have much to go on right now. While I agree it is... _extremely unlikely_ that the perpetrator is Commander Shepard, nothing's off the table quite yet. Now what about interviews with witnesses, people on duty?”

“Those will be conducted at headquarters. Do you want to head back there now?”

“I'm going to give the area another walk through and then I'll be over.”

“Okay, Spectre.”

“Thanks, Captain.”

10101010101

Ryder questioned many witnesses during the day but most of it proved an unrewarding experience. Things happened in a blur, the would-be assassin ran too fast, was covered in disguise. Even the camera footage still wasn't clear but when she paused one frame it gave her just enough of a view to see the mask Garrus spoke of.

She just didn't understand how someone could slip in, fistfight a Councilor, then escape with hardly a trace. She wondered if he and whoever drove the getaway car—because that was another unnecessary mystery—were still on the Citadel or if they'd managed to fly to the relay and disappear into the depths of space. All the wards were on high alert and it was only a matter of time before the reporters pounced. The Council wanted to keep the incident quiet for as long as possible but Ryder knew that'd be a day or two at most.

The spectre finally took a break a few grueling and frustrating hours later and stepped outside for a few minutes because Nyssa called. “Hey, babe,” she answered.

“Hi, Luna. Just checking in. I never had a chance to talk to you in the chambers.”

“I know. I wanted to look for you but then I left with Garrus and now I'm at C-Sec.”

“Any luck?”

“No. It happened too fast for anyone to see anything. Just Quentius and Garrus and...well, do you know what he believes? Well, not really _believes_ I guess...”

“That he looked like Commander Shepard. He's the first one to admit how unlikely it is though.”

“And so far it's the best lead we got. How are things with you?”

“Busy. The Council postponed today's meetings until tomorrow and there are even more security measures for anyone who wants to get in. Everybody knows something's up.”

“Let me know when ANN starts reporting it.”

“I'm sure they will soon.”

Nyssa wasn't wrong. By the time Ryder caught a cab home for a few hours of sleep, the media was in full chatter. Someone from C-Sec had spoken to them, though given the sheer number of people who worked there it was impossible to identify who. Captain Morris had her number if anything urgent needed attention.

She half-expected to get a call or five before she walked through the front door but Ryder was able to eat, shower, and collapse into bed without interruption.

The next morning, she and Nyssa spent a quick breakfast together before getting dressed. They walked out of the apartment, Nyssa locking the door behind them, and went into the Presidium. The couple said bye to each other and then split to catch separate cabs.

As soon as Ryder walked through the doors of headquarters, an officer announced that the Tayseri ward reported their security footage capturing two masked figures driving through the day before.

“And they're only _now_ telling us?” she asked, unable to completely hide her annoyance.

“They only caught it when they sifted through the footage for a second time. Some of us are heading there now. The captain in charge of the ward is already waiting.”

“Okay. I'm going ahead. Let Morris know.”

“Will do, Spectre.”

When Ryder arrived at the ward, she and the turian captain did a walk through. C-Sec officers were already out patrolling the ward. The spectre was also shown the video footage. There was less than half a minute of low quality tape but Ryder could make out the same figure from the video at the tower.

“The team from headquarters should be here any minute. I'm going to drive around,” she announced.

“Okay. Our garage is just across the walkway.”

She drove in every direction that blue standard vehicle could've gone. Those criminals weren't the only ones who had in depth knowledge of the Citadel's extensive layout. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting—to see it parked up on a rooftop? To see Shepard roaming around an armor shop? Ryder was on high alert nonetheless, though she didn't have much confidence.

The young woman was very frustrated. It was like she was searching for a ghost—and if Shepard was involved then maybe she actually was. She didn't know how else to explain the lack of direction, of evidence.

_'Maybe it's me,'_ a dark voice murmured in her head. But she dismissed it and focused on the current task.

By the time she returned to the Presidium, hours had flown by. Ryder was surprised by the amount of time wasted in the district. But as she rounded a corner and the crowd thinned out, something else surprised her more. Her eyes squinted in the distance at two asari. Nyssa was obvious but she hadn't called or let Luna know she was in the area. Perhaps this was business? Ryder didn't recognize the second asari and she went over to them.

“Luna, I came by to look for you,” Nyssa said.

“I just got back from the Tayseri ward. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I wanted you to meet Dr T'Soni. She just arrived today.”

Now that Ryder could get a good look, she felt foolish for not recognizing Liara T'Soni. “Good to finally meet you, Doctor.”

“Oh, please, Liara. Great to meet you as well, Ryder. Nyssa's told me many stories about your spectre adventures.”

She fought off a grin. There was an unmistakable sort of gentle power behind T'Soni's voice. “Ah, that's right. You two already know each other.”

Liara nodded. “Yes, we worked together on Ilium for a time. That's where you two met, isn't it?”

“Yes, a few years ago. What brings you here? Oh, that's a silly question. The ceremony.”

She laughed a little. “That's okay. I hear you've been very busy. I was hoping to steal you away for a little bit if you're able. I'm meeting with Garrus for lunch and I wanted to invite you as well. I asked Nyssa to come along but she can't.”

“I have to head to the lower wards right now unfortunately.”

“I'll just send a message to the captain and then I can join you.” She typed a quick message to Morris. Nyssa had to go the opposite direction and gave Ryder a kiss on the cheek before leaving her and T'Soni alone.

“I hope you don't mind the place Garrus chose,” Liara said. “I allowed him to decide.”

“Has it been long since the last time you saw each other?”

“A couple years. I had visited Palaven at the time for a...political function. I never imagined he'd end up a general in the military.”

“Really? He seems well-suited for it—um, though you know him much better than I.”

“You seem nervous, Ryder. Is everything alright?”

“Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I'm just a little surprised I was invited. You and the general are legends.”

“I suppose we are in a way. But don't downplay yourself, _Spectre._ Garrus spoke highly of you.”

“Did he now? It was an honor meeting him, though I wish it could've been under better circumstances.” She hesitated. With all this talk of Shepard, she found herself very curious about him _as a person._ Who better to ask then his friends who had fought at his side? It felt inappropriate to do so though.

“I agree. But it's great to meet you. From what I've heard, humanity has chosen their next spectre well.”

“I'm just doing my best to help the galaxy.”

“As it should be.”

Ryder looked around once they stepped inside the restaurant. She'd seen it from the outside plenty of times but had never actually gone in. She spotted Vakarian on the opposite side of the large room reading a menu.

“Garrus!” Liara called out.

“Well, if it isn't my favorite asari,” he said as he stood.

For a few moments, Ryder felt like an intruder. But then Garrus greeted her and shook her hand before the three sat down together.

“Glad you could make it, Ryder. How's the investigation going?”

She frowned unconsciously. “It's...going. I wish the media wasn't going wild. Half the stuff they're reporting is just speculation and scare tactics.”

“We've had plenty of run-ins with reporters,” Garrus said almost fondly.

“I shouldn't laugh but I still remember the time Shepard threatened to headbutt that salarian one,” Liara added.

Garrus laughed without shame. “Because he looked so serious about it! I mean, Ryder, believe me—he wouldn't _really_ have done it. Probably.”

“But didn't you tell me that he did headbutt a krogan on Tuchanka?” Liara said.

Ryder felt her eyes widen. “Did he really? Wouldn't that...hurt?”

“He complained about having a headache once we were back on the Normandy. But remember, that incident wasn't too long after he woke up from his coma with Cerberus. He had a bunch of cybernetic tech or whatever in his skull, I'm sure that helped.”

“That's...kind of amazing.”

“Yeah, that was...that was Cal. He was wild. For a human anyways.” He winked at her, trying to keep the mood light.

“He did all kinds of things,” Liara told the human. “Fought off a reaper on foot, dove a rusted mech to the bottom of the ocean-”

“Crashed through a fish tank at a sushi restaurant!”

The pair started laughing and Ryder felt a grin on her face. “The other stuff I can believe. But how'd he do that last one?”

“A long story involving mercs for hire and a Shepard clone. A lot of mercs. Wrex told me that when he found Cal and Kaidan fighting together, he actually tackled the shuttle to help them out. The damn shuttle!”

“That entire day was...revealing. Stunning. Exhausting.”

“Like I said, Cal was damn wild. And that was just on the job.”

As lunch continued and they told her more stories about Shepard and even some of Alenko, Ryder felt like she was being let in on a huge secret. Of course she knew about Shepard the commander, the spectre, the hero. But this was intimate, she was getting to know _Cal._ The same with Kaidan. There was much more to him than just the man who disappeared and killed himself five years ago. Ryder felt almost lucky being able to hear these stories. She wondered if this was part of the healing process for Garrus and Liara as well. Ten years had passed but Shepard and Alenko had to be on their minds a ton recently.

Ryder insisted on paying when the meal was over and ignored their arguments. The three of them left the restaurant soon after and went out into the Presidium. They ended up by the railing and were able to see the crowd a short distance below, the blue lake as a backdrop.

“Good luck with the investigation, Ryder,” Garrus told her.

“Thank you. And...thanks to both of you for inviting and telling me about Shepard and Alenko. Even now, I know it can't be easy.”

“They were cherished friends,” Liara said.

“It is hard still. The galaxy's changed now for many reasons, and the fact that they aren't here is one of them,” Garrus told her. “And one more thing, Ryder. Of all the humans that could've been chosen to take up their mantle, I'm glad it was you.”

He held out his hand and Ryder shook it firmly, a proud smile on her face. 

That lunch was by far the highlight of her day. The team examining the explosive found nothing extraordinary about it, just a crude device from parts found anywhere. Not the news she hoped to return to.

Ryder left C-Sec disappointed that night. She felt like she was failing the memory of the first two human spectres. They would've solved this mission and had time to hit up the arcade with Garrus afterwards. Doubt began creeping into her mind as she went home and it was something her girlfriend noticed as soon as she walked through the door.

“Hey, what's wrong?”

Luna stared at her a minute before blurting out, “Why me? Why'd they pick me to lead this investigation? Hell, to even be a spectre? This is my second night coming home with zero progress. What if one of the Councilors does die or get hurt because of my inability?”

“Luna babe...you are working with scraps and doing the best you can with them. You know damn well why they chose you to be a spectre. The Council looked at many people and ultimately chose _you._ Not only are you a strong, proficient soldier, you are kind and willing to help anyone. And that's everything this galaxy needs so badly. You have many accomplishments under your belt and when this over, stopping this would-be assassin will be one of them.

Ryder gave Nyssa a small smile and put her hand on top of the blue one now resting on her waist. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“Just remember that history doesn't write about Shepard's personal hardships, about any self-doubt he had, or any wrong decisions made in the heat of a mission. You can't compare yourself to polished war stories. We both know things are never that clean.”

She nodded. “I know. We just need a break in this case...to keep the Council safe, to keep you safe.”

Nyssa wrapped Ryder up in her arms and they simply stood quietly in the living room together for a couple minutes. Luna still went to bed uneasy that night but when she woke up in the morning, Nyssa's words gave her the push she needed to make it through the morning.

Even from a distance she could make out a crowd in front of C-Sec headquarters. Wanting to avoid what she already knew to be reporters, she ducked into an alley and made her way to the building through the back. The spectre checked in with Captain Morris and her day officially began.

10101010101

“They're lurking outside like a pack of hungry varren,” Ryder complained over the phone.

“Trust me, I know,” Nyssa sighed. “People want to know what happened.”

“Well, we don't _know_ what happened yet. Not really. We can get more done without the press harassing us at every step and then we'll make an announcement when we're able to truthfully answer questions. Citizens will try to paint C-Sec as incompetent right now.”

“We both knew this would happen.”

“Yeah, but it's still annoying. I'm just frustrated. I'm not making any progress. Whoever orchestrated this attack managed to leave no real trace behind. The wards have been on alert but so many ships dock daily that it's impossible to watch every single one. And even as we do narrow it down, once something hits the relay—that's it.”

“They must have left something behind. You'll find it.”

“They know the Citadel well, they knew everyone's schedule—had to in order to sneak through unseen. C-Sec's going through every employee to see if they know something or if they let them in. Whoever these people are, they've been able to hide and maybe even escape. I don't know what we're going to do. I guess, if nothing else, just go to the ceremony and watch the area like hawks. Security's gonna be even tighter than usual.”

“I kind of wish they'd cancel it,” Nyssa admitted, exhaustion creeping into her voice.

“Me too but at the same time I'm glad they aren't, y'know? Just please go off without a hitch. The galaxy doesn't deserve this.”

“No, it doesn't.”

After a few moments of silence, Ryder said she was going for a walk. “I can sneak through the back again to avoid reporters.”

“Put your hoodie and a hat on.”

“I feel like if they do recognize me, it'll just look bad to be hiding. I can blend in, it's fine.”

“Alright. I'll let you go then. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

The spectre stood from her chair and stretched. She walked through a few hallways before reaching a single unmarked door. She punched a code into the keypad beside it then stepped through. Ryder was immediately led into a small alley. She debated which way to go for a moment before turning left. Tensions were high and everyone was stressed, and all she needed was a few minutes undisturbed to gather her thoughts.

A few people did dot the backstreets but she paid them no mind and they returned the favor. When she checked her omni-tool, she was surprised to see how little time had passed. It seemed much longer. Knowing exactly where in the Presidium she was, she decided she wasn't too far from that little tea shop she liked so much.

When she stepped onto the crowded walkway, she wondered how many of these people even knew something was amiss. She passed a turian couple, a krogan, and a group of young human tourists. But then she saw an asari walking in her direction. They made eye contact and Ryder knew she was headed for her. Luna searched the recesses of her mind as they stopped in front of each other, did she know this person from somewhere? They looked unfamiliar.

“Hey,” the asari bit out. “Are you Ryder?”

“Yeah,” she said simply.

“I've been looking for you. My _friend_ in C-Sec said you were around here.”

Ryder was suddenly very uncomfortable. How could she be watched and not even realize it? There were only a few others in the room when she left, so that narrowed it down considerably. “Who are you?”

“Wait.” She nudged her head closer to the lake, at a set of benches that happened to be empty. “Over there. Too many people.”

Her eyes narrowed but she nodded once. She walked with the stranger and they went to the one small stairway leading to the sitting area. The asari nodded at a batarian standing next to it and said, “Stay here.”

Ryder prepared herself for a fight as the batarian stood to 'guard' the stairs behind them. But her instincts told her these two weren't hostile. “So what is this? Who are you?”

“I'm hurt,” the asari said with a smirk. “The only human spectre around doesn't know me? The name's Aria T'Loak.”

“Again, who _are_ you?”

“Have you ever heard of Omega? It's the Terminus System's humblest little asteroid.”

“Interesting choice in words,” Ryder laughed. “Of course I've heard of it. What about it? You in charge or something?”

“You could say that. I'm the boss, CEO-” A small smirk lit up her face. “-queen if you're feeling dramatic.”

“Okay. And to what do I owe this pleasure? We're a long way from Omega.”

“The press reminds me of swarming vorcha. I'm surprised to see you roaming around so casually. But I think I have some information you may find useful, Ryder. Luckily, I'm feeling pretty generous this week.”

Her green eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? What do you know about what's going on?” How much had her 'friend' in C-Sec told her? That was against the law.

“We've both heard the reports. I've been told you're in charge of this investigation. Well, how about this? I'm going to assume all humans know each other and you know the story of Kaidan Alenko.”

“Yeah...everyone does. Everyone thinks he disappeared, killed himself five years ago.”

“Bullshit. I've heard the rumors floating around, Vakarian thinks the person who got away was Shepard.”

“He doesn't actually think that, he-”

“Cute. Let's not get hung up on semantics, kid. Everyone also knows that Shepard and Alenko were a couple, practically inseparable. I know that personally, used to see them often enough in Purgatory.”

“Well, yeah. And Spectre Alenko grieved heavily after the war. That was never a secret. But what does he have to do with this? What do you know?”

“What if I told you Alenko wasn't dead? That he's alive and your good friend Aria has seen him herself?”

“W-what? He's in Omega? You know this and you've told no one?”

The asari laughed. “Should I have called the Alliance? Invited them to Omega? Serve them drinks in Afterlife? I've never even spoken to him directly. I knew he'd gone missing in Citadel space but once I determined he wasn't there to cause a disturbance, I made sure he was left alone.”

“Why? Because you knew him during the war?”

“As a favor to Shepard,” she admitted. “He helped me take back Omega from Cerberus and I owed him. I don't understand it but I know he cared about Alenko a lot so I make sure no one bothers him as repayment. He doesn't live there though. When I used to have him followed, he'd arrive in a ship occasionally, stay a few hours, and leave. Last time I saw him was a few weeks ago.”

“What does he do there?”

“Buy junk. Go talk to sellers in the market. They might help, they might not. Don't expect your spectre status to earn any sort of respect on that side of space. If by some slim chance Shepard does have something to do with this, then Alenko will know.” She moved toward the stairs but Ryder stopped her.

“Wait! Why are you here now? At the Citadel?”

She turned around and crossed her arms. “...I was coming to the ceremony to pay my respects to Shepard. Found this mess instead. Get this shit done, kid. He deserves to rest.”

And then she was leaving with the batarian and slipping back into the crowd. Ryder just sort of stared for a couple minutes, mind reeling with the information thrust into her hands. Kaidan Alenko alive? Was that truly possible? And if it was, how could he be involved in an assassination attempt on a councilor? She just couldn't believe it.

The one thing she did know was that she needed to get to Omega as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

“You can't honestly believe that asari,” Atan, the salarian councilor, spat.

“It's a lead,” Irissa said sharply. “We can't afford to turn our heads up at anything. Aria has no interests in getting involved with something like this, she wouldn't seek Ryder out-”

“Unless it benefited her!”

“...She heard the rumors that the assassin is Shepard and so sought me out, knowing they were a couple. She's kept quiet about Alenko as a sort of favor for Shepard. I'm going to investigate.”

“I still think this is foolish.”

“Alenko alive would be momentous. That needs to be checked out regardless.”

“Aria is lying. We all know he's dead.”

“Ryder will be the one to determine that. Let her do her job.”

The salarian looked angry but he argued no further. “Fine. When are you leaving?”

“I wanted to start tomorrow. I'd like to request my own transportation as well. I need flexibility in case I need to leave Omega.”

“It will be arranged,” Irissa said. “Do you require anything else?”

“No.”

“Okay. A ship will be waiting at the usual docking gate when you're ready to go. Thank you, Ryder. You're dismissed.”

With a nod, she turned to leave the council chambers. She supposed she could technically have the rest of the day off but that wasn't the destination in mind when she got in the cab. Ryder had of course heard the news five years ago—every species had. But she wanted more, she wanted to understand what happened before that, she wanted to be prepared.

That was why she was on her way to the Spectre Offices to research all she could about the life and disappearance of Kaidan Alenko.

An hour later she was frowning heavily at the computer screen. There were _many_ articles, blog posts, speculations, etc about Spectre Alenko. It took a lot of filtering on Ryder's end to narrow down the extranet results—and even then she still wasn't quite sure where to start.

She clicked on archived reports just after the war ended. Ten years later and it was still strange to know she'd actually been a part of it. It felt like a lifetime ago and she imagined most survivors felt the same.

The information she read over first was nothing new to her—Alenko personally led teams through the wreckage of the Citadel. They cleaned up corpses, they found a giant holding cell of survivors, even found Admiral Anderson’s body. But no Shepard, which she was sure was the main reason Alenko demanded to go in. This went on for a few years, the Citadel was huge and there always seemed to be a new crack or crevice to explore.

The next article was about the scene Spectre Alenko caused in the Council Chambers when they officially declared Commander Shepard killed in action.

_“He's defied the odds before!”_

_“The reapers can't be trusted! They could've kidnapped him!”_

_“The Council has always been against Shepard!”_

Ryder wondered if those were truly direct quotes. She tried to put herself in Alenko's position. How would she feel if she lost Nyssa—not once but twice in her life? And with the Council arguing with her at every turn? Luna shook her head, she knew how she would feel. Was the strain of that loss just too much for him? Combined with the trauma of the war itself, did it simply break him?

The more she read, the more Ryder's heart ached for him—and for Shepard too. No matter what some of these trash reporters wrote, those two were heroes. They had deserved a happy ending.

She skipped forward in time and read about Major Alenko returning to Earth, where he laid low and did small jobs for the Alliance in Vancouver. Rumors flew that his spectre status had been revoked but nothing could confirm that.

And then reports exploded again in 2191, headlines all saying the same thing.

**_Kaidan Alenko missing._ **

The Alliance was the one to search for him but they came up empty-handed and—like his lover five years prior—Kaidan Alenko was declared dead.

_“The war messed him up.”_

_“He never got over his grief.”_

_“Alenko killed himself.”_

Ryder could feel herself tearing up as she read on about a person she didn't even know. _'But this stuff isn't true,'_ she told herself. Kaidan wasn't dead. She didn't know why but Kaidan was in Omega.

She exited the extranet windows and logged off. What she did know for certain was that whoever she found on Omega, it wouldn't be the same Kaidan Alenko who helped rescue the galaxy.

10101010101

“Are you sure it's wise to go alone?”

Ryder looked up from the bag she was packing. Nyssa was standing in the doorway, nervous energy radiating off her. “I work better solo. You know that.”

“But this is the Terminus Systems, Omega. You've never been there.”

“No, but I'm more than capable of handling myself. I'm just gonna investigate, see who knows anything, report to the Council. And maybe not Omega but I've traveled the Terminus Systems numerous time over the years.”

“I just worry about you. Aria could be lying.”

“I know that's possible. I'll be cautious. And I worry about you too, I don't wanna leave you knowing some assassin is still out there.”

“We're surrounded by security here. No one will slip through twice.” She stared at Luna as she continued packing her bag. “Something else is on your mind.”

“I was researching Kaidan Alenko, his life after the war. It...hurt.”

Nyssa's eyes briefly flitted towards the window. “His and Shepard's story is a sad one,” she agreed. “It's because of them that everyone is alive today. A couple years after the war ended, the media began to practically vilify Alenko for his fighting with the Council—and those arguments were intense. They said he was no longer interested in helping the galaxy, that he was failing his duties as a spectre. There were even a couple instances where he was found to take Citadel resources for his own use.”

“He was a spectre but he was still a person with feelings! He was desperate and heartbroken. That's not...what if I find him?” She whispered the last sentence quietly.

“Babe...look. I agree with Irissa—you should investigate this. But...the chances of Alenko being there, of you actually finding him or him being alive, it's kind of slim. To put it lightly.”

“I know that.”

“And remember, your mission is to bring a perpetrator to justice. Alenko was a model soldier, the chances of him being involved in this mess are-”

“Even slimmer. I know.”

“Others might want to disagree but it's true. He wasn't a bad man.”

“He was in pain. You think people would understand that after everything we've been through. I don't know what I'll find—if anything—on Omega. I just know that C-Sec and I are getting nowhere here.”

“Just promise me you'll stay safe.”

“Always.”

She would try her best but they both knew there was no guarantee she'd remain unharmed. Ryder went to sleep with a heavy heart that night.

10101010101

Ryder walked through the docking bay early the next morning. She wanted to arrive at Omega as soon as possible, she was unsure how long she'd actually be staying. The ceremony was tomorrow evening and she wondered if she'd later run into Aria on the asteroid. Ryder thought about the people who lived on Omega in general. Gang members— _lots,_ she knew that much—but who else? It was the Terminus Systems but hopefully no one would be too hostile towards the spectre.

She met with the workers who would go through the checks before take off. Ryder loathed this part because it was so boring. She knew she could use her status to bypass it but these people were just doing their job so she let them go through the procedure. Besides, she didn't want the spectres to look petty because of her actions.

Every time she took off from the Citadel, a bit of her still felt in awe. Sometimes traveling through the relays allowed her to forget just how _big_ space actually was. This would've been unthinkable a hundred and fifty years ago and now the Earth just seemed so small. Despite the past, she was happy to have been born in these times—where she had billions of star systems to explore instead of being limited to just Earth or Sol. Hell, there were even rumors that some mass relays might even connect to different galaxies altogether. It was an exciting prospect.

But right now in the present, the trip to Omega would be a lonely one. She loved surrounding herself with other people but Ryder knew she worked better on certain missions alone. Being with another spectre or an Alliance crew would only serve to distract her. She had a lot to think about anyways, she mused as she plotted a course through the relays.

The journey passed without any issues, a detail she was quite grateful for. About eight months had passed since her last small mission in the Terminus Systems. She'd never been to this particular cluster but knew about the Sahrabarik star system and its infamous Omega 4 relay. She docked and was met with a rather unfriendly batarian. Once she said her name and threatened to have Aria shove him out an airlock, he let her pass with no more resistance. Ryder had to admit she was a little surprised how much weight Aria's name alone held.

She brought up a map on her omni-tool before ever leaving the ship and knew which way to take to the safest hotel. She planned to put her things away, call Nyssa, then get started.

Omega was everything she expected. Her hotel was probably run by a gang but it was clean and seemed good enough for her purposes. She just needed a place to shower and sleep a few hours a day. Nyssa sounded tired but happy to hear from her when she called. She wished their schedules didn't take them away from each other so often but they both loved their work and knew how important it was.

When she passed Afterlife, some drunk in front tried to start a fight with her but as soon as she threatened him with bodily harm and got in his face, he backed off quickly. From her research on the ship, three main gangs existed here. A fourth one was trying to eek its way in but Ryder didn't know how well that was going. Unless they confronted her directly, it wasn't really her problem. At least, it wasn't a distraction she could afford during this mission.

Ryder briefly thought back to the history she'd learned years ago and tried to remember if it'd been General Vakarian or Urdnot Wrex who had something to do with this place over a decade ago.

She kept walking past the club—it'd never been her scene and going there was unnecessary for now. Ryder's destination was the market square. A few signs pointed her down the right streets. She noticed vorcha scattered around the darker corners. They growled before turning away.

According to a big overhead sign, she was near the Omega Market and this was the area she was looking for. If she had no success here, then Ryder planned on scouring the Tuhi District next. A batarian stared from behind the counter as she approached the shop. She supposed she should find a place that sold tech parts that could rig explosives. But browsing this place—it didn't seem like what she was looking for.

“Hey, you know where I can get...tech parts...for grenades? It's for a science experiment.” Ryder did her best to keep a straight face.

“Uhh, go talk to Harrot. If someone can find what...ever it is you're looking for, it'll be him.” He pointed off to the right. “Harrot's Emporium. He's a big elcor, can't miss him.”

“Thanks.”

She walked down the dimly lit street, passing by even more of Omega's residents. But when she finally arrived at the shop with the 'Harrot's Emporium' sign listed in twenty different languages, not an elcor was in sight. Then she noticed the word 'closed' on the screen sitting on the counter.

“Damn it,” she muttered and pulled up her omni-tool. The times were different from the Citadel and Earth—it was currently the night cycle on this rock. With a sigh, she decided to catch a cab and head to the Tuhi District anyways. At the very least, she could grab a bite to eat.

A half hour later, Ryder was sitting alone in a restaurant while a waiter placed a sandwich in front of her. She would be up and at the store first thing in the morning. Or whenever it opened. But that was hours away and she wondered if she could scout around some of the other districts and see if anything needed attention-

No. Again she told herself she couldn't get distracted. Helping people here would be a mission for another time.

As she walked around the commerce district, some stores were open all night. They yielded little information though—a couple were outright hostile to the outsider. She pondered the idea of trying to hack camera footage. She had the knowledge—unless these shop keeps had technology too advanced—but there was the potential of getting caught. With Aria not physically on Omega and Ryder's spectre status being rather trivial, it was a risk.

But every option needed to remain open and she would put her hacking skills to use if Harrot's talk went south.

10101010101

Ryder wasted no time when the night cycle was over. She left her hotel and headed straight for the elcor's shop, knowing exactly which streets to take this time around. She turned the corner and saw him standing behind the counter of his store. When it was unmistakable that her interest was in the emporium, the elcor spoke.

“Pleased greeting: welcome to Harrot's Emporium. I am Harrot. How can I assist you today?”

“I'm looking for someone and I think you may know where he is,” Ryder said bluntly.

“Confused: who are you looking for? Many customers pass through here daily.”

“Human male, soldier in his forties. Black hair, brown eyes, skin lighter than mine. He would've been scavenging parts for an explosive.” Avoiding saying the name 'Kaidan Alenko' was harder than she thought. “He's been coming to Omega for years.”

“Regretfully, I'm afraid I can't help you. Many people shop at Harrot's Emporium.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Really?” She brought up her omni-tool. “What if I called Aria? Think you could help _her?_ ” She hoped she wouldn't have to but if he tried to call her bluff...

“I truly do not know. If this person doesn't live on Omega, it's possible they are on one of the moons surrounding Urdak or Imorkan. Other than that, I'm sorry.”

Her instincts told her he was telling the truth but maybe-

“That big tree trunk is right, y'know!”

Her gaze snapped towards a third voice and suddenly two humans and a batarian were standing off to the left. “What would you know of it?”

One of the humans smirked. “Maybe we're mercenaries that work in this star system, maybe we've seen a guy like your description. Maybe not.”

“I'm a spectre and it's unwise to withhold information from me.”

“We're mercenaries. We speak in credits.”

“And how well are you going to speak with my pistol rammed down your throat? Or maybe I'll ask Aria's body guard to shove you out the airlock.”

“Calm down, calm down. We're all professionals here. Just a small fee and...what are you doing?” He sneered. “You're not actually calling them, are you?”

Ryder just glanced up and smiled. Then a combat drone appeared between her and the others and she watched their eyes widen. “Now let me ask again. What do you know about the man in question?”

“Fuck it, just tell her,” the other human whispered.

He glared at the spectre for a solid half minute before relenting. “Imorkan. We work as 'security' at the lay stations and he's rented space at one for a hundred fuckin' years.”

“What does he do there?”

“Fuck if I know. All that matters is he pays his dues. He could be building a bomb for all I care.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Give me the coordinates.” Once she had them, she continued. “In the minute it's been here, my drone has scanned you and sent the info to my omni-tool. If you're lying to me, I _will_ find you.”

They looked nervous and seemed to believe her lie. “Fuck off, it's the truth.” The human then stormed off with the other two in tow. The drone disappeared.

“Please leave.”

She glanced over at the elcor still behind the corner. Harrot hadn't bothered to even use an indicator at the beginning of his plea. She nodded once at him, disliking having to cause a scene in the first place, and walked away.

This could very easily be a trap but she would be prepared. She had a decade's worth of combat experience and some of the best weapons and armor available to spectres. Ryder was not easily bested.

On her way back to the hotel, she briefly debated updating the Council. But there was no point until the job was actually done. However, she felt uneasy leaving the asteroid without telling anyone. She sent a quick message to Nyssa _just in case_ something went wrong.

'Leaving to pick up a lead around Imorkan. Here are the coordinates.”

When she walked into her room, she got a reply. 'Okay. Be careful.'

Ryder was grateful she didn't ask questions. She would tell Nyssa everything once she was on her way home—the asari knew that. Never bothering to unpack anything, she gathered her stuff and left. She returned to the docking bay and boarded her ship. After bringing up the map interface, she plotted a course to the coordinates she'd been given. Just like the mercenary said, a station appeared. Only vague information was available for the entire area—food, ammunition, pleasure offered for the traveling space adventurer.

_'Space adventurer.'_

Pirates.

As her ship pierced through the cold darkness of space, it occurred to her that Alenko may not be involved at all. Shepard was dead, it wasn't him Garrus chased through the Citadel. It could've easily been someone who looked similar. This could be Kaidan's new home without old responsibilities, old reminders of his painful past. A drastic decision but...

Did he know who she was? Would he just open his doors and let her waltz in? She...wasn't sure. The old Alenko, well, he wouldn't have been in a situation like this to begin with. With this new Alenko, guilty of any crimes or not, she had no idea what to expect.

After some time, Imorkan was close. This was where Kaidan Alenko was hiding, tucked away in a corner of the Terminus Systems. “Blue gas giant,” she rattled off distractedly. “Orbital distance – three and a half AU. Radius – 54,000 kilometers. Approximate values. Helium-3 source. Methane-ammonia atmosphere.” It would be a rather forgettable planet if not for the infamous layover stations. 

Her ship's systems had the correct station targeted. No information, just the location of the landing zone. She used the remaining time to ensure her guns and armor were ready for battle—hopefully an unnecessary precaution. When she was closer, she retook control and manually flew the ship towards the docking station. It was time to get ready for either a peaceful confrontation or an unpredictable battle.


	4. Chapter 4

Multiple starships lined the bay and Ryder thought about how many mercenaries littered the station. If he wanted to be alone then maybe it was only a small force. Everyone thought he was dead anyways, so who would be searching? She exited her ship and stepped onto the platform without issue or interruption. To her right was a dead end and to the left was a single door.

It led down an empty stark white hall until another door opened and she was in a giant room. Artificial grass lined the ground and rocks were scattered about to make it look like they were outside, with the same bright lighting that was in the hallway. A walkway bisected the room.

The nerves up her spine prickled and she froze, instincts telling her to wait. She sent out a drone to 'scout' and controlled it from behind a pillar near the entrance. Her eyes stayed glued to her surroundings as she moved it along the path. It was rigged to occasionally loose a bolt of electricity at the terrain. And then, after one zap hit behind a small rock, she heard it. A high frequency beep and then a small explosion as a mine went off, setting off another and another.

Static crackled across a sound system and a rough voice came on. “This is not a layover station,” a raspy man said. “Leave.”

“I know,” she announced and stepped into the view of any potential cameras. “I'm Spectre Ryder and I'm looking for Kaidan Alenko.”

“Leave! I'm giving you one chance.”

“There's no point in hiding, I know who you are! I just want to talk to-”

“Guards! Intruder at the entrance!”

“Alenko, wait!”

There was a brief cut of static and the speakers went silent. With a frustrated growl, she yanked a grenade-type device from her belt and tossed it clear to the other side of the room. It landed with a view of the door leading to the rest of the compound. Ryder wondered how much time it would take for the mercenaries to arrive and if her sentry turret could set itself up before that.

With a frustrated growl, she ran behind a particularly large rock with a decent view of the other door. So this was how it was going to be. He hadn't denied who he was. The small hope she had that this could end peacefully was shattered. Alenko was hostile and to a spectre no less. Maybe he was involved in the attack on Quentius and didn't want to be discovered. The thought hurt but deep down she knew it to be the truth.

The door slid open and heavy pounding boots rushed past the threshold. The turret went off and tore into their front line unexpectedly then loosed one of its rockets. It gave her pistol the opportunity to pick off the ones she could see from her current angle. Ryder huffed as two mercs went down. 

She looked over and saw another rock for cover. There was a gap because of the pathway but the turret would provide cover fire and her shields would soak up anything else. She launched herself and rolled behind new cover. If she could get her combat drone in position, they'd be dealing with an assault on three sides.

Ryder knelt on the ground to peer around and quickly worked her omni-tool to send out the drone. Not only did it have its basic attack, it also detonated on destruction. A nifty little thing in close combat.

Shouting told her they were distracted and she quickly shimmied closer, part of her attention constantly on the door. The turret opened fire when two more mercenaries ran in. It took down the first but that gave the second guard time to shoot it. A loud sputter came from the turret and Ryder knew it was done for. She popped up and unleashed the remainder of her clip into him before jumping down to reload. There was a zap from her drone, more gunfire, then screams as it blew up in everyone's faces.

The room fell silent and she cautiously moved to the other side of it. Once she confirmed it was clear, she lowered her gun and took a moment to breathe.

“Impressive,” she heard from the speakers.

“It didn't have to be this way, Alenko!” she shouted. “So is it true? Were you responsible for the attack on the Councilor?”

“The Council, the damn Council! Were they there when we had to steal our own ship to go after Saren, when we insisted the reapers were real and coming for us? How about when they made us do political favors while millions of people were getting slaughtered?! And then, after it's all over, when Cal needs to be rescued, they call off the search. One last slap in the face. The Council has never been on our side and for that they need to pay!”

“Murder isn't the way we do things in Citadel space. You of all people should know that, Alenko.”

More static and then the speakers were silent again. She slowly approached the door from the side. It opened and she whipped around just to be met with air and another empty hallway.

She proceeded through with care. This hall felt longer and eerier. She turned a single corner and was met with another long corridor. The difference here was that each wall was lined with three doors. She had no idea which way to go. The spectre debated heading straight—but if guards were hiding then they would only flank her later.

With a heavy groan, she readied another drone and approached the first door on the right. She knelt down and then counted, “One, two—three.” The door opened and she quickly scouted the room with her gun.

Empty.

There was nothing there but a few desks with computers and paperwork scattered everywhere. She quickly moved to the next room.

Empty.

Then the last room. When that too was devoid of any life, a sense of dread built up in her chest. Now the other side. Instead of another messy office or storage unit, she had stepped into what looked like a cafeteria. It encompassed the entire left side of the hallway. Odd. Were there truly enough mercenaries here to fill this space or was it just part of the layout when Alenko started 'renting' it? This had to be a trap. She stepped forward. Then the next few seconds were chaotic.

There was heavy shuffling and clanking in the back and Ryder instinctively dove behind one of the tables. She shoved it over for cover as the first bullets rained. The drone that still followed her jumped into action as well.

A line of armored guards trailed from what she assumed was the kitchen. Some took refuge behind tables while another small group crowded by the food counters. The fight that ensued was slow. One went down by pistol and the drone did its job when it detonated. That left the bunch at the counters.

They were at a standstill and the entire time Ryder worried more would flank her. She only managed to kill another merc when he tried to charge through the cafeteria. A mistake that the rest didn't attempt after that. Once there was a break in fire, she quickly retaliated. But on her way down, a grenade landed close by. She fumbled from the cover of the upturned table to grab it and fling it away. She grunted during the roll back as a bullet connected with her armor.

The others scrambled but they weren't quick enough and the grenade exploded. She blinked as they flailed into the air instead of dying. Lift grenade. Didn't matter. It took some time to chip through their armor but it was easy picking. Their slam into the ground when the lift wore off helped her too.

She wasted no time returning to the hallway and walking in the only direction left. The double doors ahead were already open and she could see the next plain room they led to—though the layout and actual size remained unknown. She inched closer and listened. But she heard nothing except the drafty sound of recycling air. No footsteps, no voice.

Were all the mercenaries really taken care of? Such a small force for the entire station? But she supposed it did make sense. Everyone thought Kaidan Alenko was dead so why would anyone bother him out here? He probably kept just enough guards around to intimidate any pirates that tried to come through.

She entered the room, gun aimed and hand ready to loose another turret. Some planters were scattered from the white ground, fake grass and small trees that looked entirely out of place. Two doors with red lights in the middle stood on either side. But what caught Ryder's attention the most was the looming staircase.

Her body was still prepared for any quick movements but she lowered her pistol and walked forward, green eyes glued to the top. Twenty steps above was a figure wearing the same mask, the same armor from the grainy Citadel footage, the same outfit described to her in detail by Garrus. He was as still as the Shepard statue in the Citadel and encased in a coat of black, like some sort of dark ominous beacon.

Ryder broke the silence.

“There's no point hiding behind that mask. Garrus saw you at the Citadel.”

He said nothing but slowly undid the clasp of the mask and pulled the goggles off. The face staring back at her was Shepard's, she couldn't deny that. But that was impossible. He'd been dead the last ten years.

“Who are you?” she asked.

His lips slowly curled into a grin. “You don't recognize the first human spectre? I'm Cal.”

“No, you're not. If he were alive, Alenko wouldn't have holed himself up here in the middle of nowhere.” She watched him slowly begin to descend the stairs.

“I have been forged from broken memories and a lifetime of pain. I have been built in his image and I am perfect. I don't care who you are or why you're here but your intrusion ends now. I won't let anyone hurt Kaidan ever again!”

He flashed a bright blue and leapt into the air. Her eyes widened and she lurched out of the way just as he crashed down. No human should've been capable of such a jump—nor the one out of the councilor's window. But she had no time to dwell on that as she aimed her gun.

“This isn't Commander Shepard! Who are you guys?!” She hit him with a single bullet and he recoiled. But then he immediately followed up with a biotic throw that sent her halfway across the room. She grunted at the hard impact and quickly rolled to her left. His fist punched at empty ground, missing her by a few feet.

She pushed herself up and backed away. He was strong, stronger than anyone she'd fought, and she didn't want either of those fists near her. Ryder hit him with a cryo blast and it didn't freeze him—she didn't really expect it to—but it did slow him down a bit. She put even more space between them and decided to go for his shields. Overload would help with that. It wouldn't take them out completely but...

Ryder froze when it hit. Not because she was injured or he retaliated but because the attack stunned him. Overload was originally tailored to _overload_ shields, barriers, and synthetics systems. And now that organics and synthetics were merged or whatever the hell, it was a moot thing.

Her body reacted as her mind caught up, hand aiming her pistol and firing multiple rounds into the man. His body recoiled but he didn't fall, didn't bleed. But it affected him, she knew, and he screamed as he loosed another biotic throw at her. She was ready for it and able to bear the brunt of the weaker attack without getting knocked off her feet again. However, it did knock the weapons away and she briefly wished she had the strength of biotics to aid her as well. He didn't even need a gun.

She leapt over a planter to scramble for her pistol but he caught Ryder midair and slammed her into the weird artificial grass and flowers. He held his arm over her neck and knee against her stomach to keep still as he cocked his fist. It glowed a magnificent blue. They were so close to each other and she stared into unsettling green eyes that mirrored her own. She was looking at a legend and that legend was ready to kill her.

He looked like he was about to growl something but those words and that punch never came.

His biotics fizzed out and he shakily looked down at the hidden knife she ran through his chest. Ryder shoved him off her and he fell off the planter to crash onto the floor. She rushed to grab her gun with the intention of shooting him in the head but she found herself hesitating. If she shot him now then there was no chance to pry information from him. And...she felt something strange at the thought of murdering Shepard—even if this wasn't the same hero the galaxy knew.

“Don't move,” she ordered and bent over to retrieve her blade. She was ready to put him down if he pulled any stunts but he merely laid there as she pulled the clean knife from his body. This wasn't normal. “Are you really Shepard?” she asked.

“I'm a decade's worth of pain personified. No, I'm not the true Shepard, just his memories within a metallic shell.”

“Metallic...you're an AI—or something like one. That's how you survived jumping out that window in the Citadel. Then that means Shepard really did die all those years ago, and Alenko...I secretly hoped, I know Garrus hoped that somehow...”

“I almost wanted to stop and tell Garrus what was going on. I don't know him but it felt like the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to do would've been stopping Alenko from trying to commit murder.”

“He's angry and I'm angry at the people who hurt him.”

“That's not an excuse.”

“I know. What I do, I do for him. Look, I am the final barrier between you and Kaidan. No more mercenaries, no more machines. He is a very powerful biotic and has decades of combat experience. His lab is just through the door upstairs.

“Why are you telling me-”

“Save him. From himself.

And then she watched the light behind his eyes flicker and die out. Even if this wasn't the Shepard who headbutted krogan and rescued galaxies, she felt an ache at seeing this small part of him lie so hauntingly still on the cold station floor. His final words chilled her to the bone.

She stared a moment longer, hoping the real Cal Shepard was resting somewhere in peace, before tearing her eyes away. Her gaze then landed on the door above. If Shepard was telling the truth, then this entire ordeal would come to a violent end very soon.

Ryder squared her shoulders and climbed the steps to her final destination. The door slid open without her needing to hack the lock. He knew she was coming, there was no point in delaying it further. It immediately led to a giant room, bigger than anything else in the station. She did a brief surveillance of the lab. It contained tables and pinned up diagrams, tools and an incredible amount of machinery. In the distance hung a set of thin tattered curtains cutting the back portion off from the rest.

But the most interesting part was the man standing right in the middle of it all.

“Kaidan Alenko,” she murmured. He looked different but the same. His famous black poof of hair was overgrown, peppered with more gray, he had a scruffy beard. He looked older than his forty-something years, a lifetime of stress taking its toll. But there was no denying who he was. His armor was ancient and looked like it'd crumble if she touched it. However, she remembered he was a biotic. He could activate a barrier.

Maybe there was still a way to talk him down. She stepped forward and-

“ _Where's Cal?_ ” he demanded.

“Your Shepard is dead.”

The noise he made sounded nothing close to human. A wave of blue fury exploded around him, similar to the way it had with Shepard just a short while ago.

“You killed him!” he screamed. “You all killed him!”

“He died ten years ago, Spectre Alenko. You know that.”

“Don't call me that!” he hissed and she dove behind the nearest piece of makeshift cover to avoid an attack. “Don't associate me with the fucking _Council._ They abandoned Cal to die.”

“That's not true!” she insisted, trying to activate a combat drone to help defend herself.

“How many other people died because they wouldn't listen? We knew the reapers were coming years before the war and yet they sat on their asses, made us do political favors for aide while people were dying by the fucking million! They need to pay for what they've done. You're here in their stead so that starts with you.”

Her drone zapped him and when he turned to focus on it, she fled farther into the room. “This isn't who you are!” She took a few shots at him, his barrier soaking them right up. She needed to get a little closer to overload it.

“You know nothing about me. Don't believe everything you read in their deceitful history books.”

“I was there, Alenko. I fought in London. You helped save a galaxy. This isn't you!”

“Enough!” He came at Ryder again and ignored the drone attacking him from behind. It would chip away at his barrier but not enough to help yet.

Ryder took a risk and hit him with the full brunt of an overload. His body spasmed but he still jumped in front of her and punched her in the face. She doubled over, blindly shooting until he backed away. That hurt. A lot. But she straightened up and kept fighting. This wasn't the same man from a decade ago and she couldn't let him get away with attempted murder. He would only hit the Citadel again and next time harder, knowing the flaws of his first plan.

They clashed again and she realized he wasn't even trying to use cover or defend himself in any real way. He was just a mass of pure biotic energy and she swore he almost let her hit him with a cryo blast to slow him down.

“Why are you doing this?” she bit out. “Why did you come to the Terminus Systems? Everyone thought you died.”

“And they're wrong, just like they're wrong about Cal's death! After _everything_ he's done for you people, you couldn't be bothered to search for him. But I know the truth and I refuse to abandon him. I did that once and I will never do it again.”

“He's _gone._ Spectre—Kaidan, it's over. Come with me back to-”

“I'll only go back when it's to kill the Council myself!”

Ryder thought he was going to launch himself at her but instead he attacked from a distance. Her body tensed like a wire as she struggled between doubling over and staying stiff as a board. She felt on fire as the attack ravaged every nerve in her body. She eventually dropped to her knees, brain buzzing inside her skull, with just enough coherency to realize Alenko _was_ stomping towards her this time, fists glowing. If she didn't do something, Ryder knew she was about to die. The reave left her barely able to move but her drone raced towards Kaidan and she managed to detonate it directly behind him. The mini explosion sent him careening forward and he crashed onto the floor a few meters in front of her.

Her eyes widened and she forced herself to rummage for the pistol she dropped. She found where it had clattered and grasped it with both hands. There was no way her legs could support her weight yet so she remained on her knees and aimed her quaking arms. Everything moved in slow motion and she watched as Alenko shoved himself upright.

He was on his hands and knees when the first bullet missed. He was back on his feet when the next three didn't.

His eyes widened and he looked down as blood rushed from his stomach. Both hands covered the wounds and he lowered himself onto the floor.

She waited to see if he would do anything more but he just leaned against a workbench and bled.

“Cal deserves better.”

It was a whisper, barely audible against the soft whir of machinery echoing off the walls, but she heard it. She cautiously crawled closer but he made no movement other than shaky breaths.

“He risked his life for years, literally died once, and then...at the very end...” Kaidan's eyes filled with tears. At this short distance, she could see they were a warm amber color. “There was a green light from the Citadel, it washed over everything, it made us into—this. It was the same color as his eyes.” He looked up and squinted at her. “Like yours. It had to be him, sending me a sign, I searched the Citadel for years but turned up with nothing. So, I thought, what if that light wasn't a sign but _him?_ No one knows what the Catalyst was, maybe it fucked him up and he needed a vessel.”

“So you ran away and built an AI,” she murmured.

“I was already on the verge of being discharged by then. I hadn't seen the man I loved in over five years and I was willing to do anything to find him. There was nothing for me out there. I dedicated myself to saving him. We used to talk about life after the war. When things were so unpredictable, we tried our best to plan things for the future. For a minute, that life seemed like a real obtainable thing. And then he was gone, taken from me for a second time. It isn't fair.” He shifted and let out a pained gasp.

“I can patch you up-”

“No. I told you, I'm not going back to the Citadel.”

“...Why are you telling me this? You were just trying to kill me.”

“Somebody needs to know the truth. I know it's over. I...I think a part of me always...”

“What made you try to murder a Councilor? I've seen vids, read articles, heard stories. About you, about Shepard, about the people you were.”

“They deserve it. Them, the previous Council, no one put the galaxy first. It's taken me all this time to fix Cal...t-to build him. I know what he is. But I thought, if I could just get him _perfect._ I had him back for a few brief moments. We built that explosive together, like how we used to build his model ships on the Normandy, and then I rushed the attack. I wanted them to see how wrong they were about everything.”

“Death isn't the answer.”

“Yes, it is. I'm dying and I welcome it.” His gaze was getting more distant and Ryder knew his time was very short now. “Your eyes look so much like his, you know? Same shape, same exact color...can you hear me, Cal? You here somehow? I-I'm sorry. For this. It's all wrong. I never wanted...I just wanted you. I love you, Cal.”

Ryder watched his eyes close, his pained breaths eventually stop, his bloody hands slip down into his lap. Her own hands balled into fists. Kaidan Alenko had committed serious crimes...but this shouldn't have been how things ended. She wished he and Shepard could've had their happy ending. If anyone deserved it, it was them.

Her heart ached and she was completely torn about what to do. People ripped Kaidan apart five years ago when he was deep in despair. What would they say now after this catastrophe? The Alliance, his family, even the Council—they still held him up as the hero he truly was. And that was how it should remain.

She finally stood then activated her omni-tool. There was a phone call she needed to make.

“Ryder? What do you want?”

“I need a big favor, Aria. Are you back in Omega?” She gave a short laugh. “I don't even know what day it is right now.”

“I'm docking as we speak. Now go on. I'm curious.”

“I need you to come to a station orbiting Imorkan. It's about Alenko...”

A couple minutes later, she was hanging up with the asari. Aria would be here with her batarian bodyguard Bray soon. Ryder would think about how to report to the Council during her trip home. She stared at the lonely figure on the floor before exiting the lab. She walked down the stairs and to the place she'd left Shepard. Ryder bent down and hauled the AI over shoulder.

Putting him beside Kaidan seemed like the right thing to do.

She explored the laboratory more thoroughly when she was done. The curtains hid a living space—a kitchen, a bed, a bathroom. It was difficult to believe that this was where Alenko isolated himself for five years. Then she noticed the other door.

It opened to another hallway. She followed it, hand brushing against the door-less walls as it twisted and turned. When it finally opened at the other end, she was surprised to see the same docking bay from earlier. She spun around and noticed the door had been made to look like a plain wall.

He could've escaped at any time.

But he didn't. This was what he wanted.

The spectre remained there until another ship finally docked. She led Aria and her bodyguard through the same path she originally took, explaining what happened. Aria had kept Kaidan's location a secret for years, she would do the same with this.

When they entered the lab, Aria stopped for a moment. “We'll take care of the bodies. Bray will return with a small crew to strip all signs that Alenko was ever here.”

“Good. I don't want to do this, but I am and the Council can't find out. The media would get a hold of that information eventually. Just...whatever you do, make sure their bodies are together. He's the closest thing to Shepard that Alenko had. I owe you for this.”

The asari sighed. “This one's on the house. But _don't_ expect it again.”

“Thank you. Do, uh, you two need help or-”

“We'll handle it, Ryder.”

“Okay. I need to return to the Citadel, figure out a report.”

“This place will look like just another pirate hideout when we're through.”

She nodded, told them about the short cut through the back, then left. The first thing she did on the ship was dress the wound on her face. The second was strip off her armor and change. She got in the seat and left behind the station for what she hoped was the rest of her life. Once a course to the nearest relay was plotted, she sat back and tried to sort through everything that had happened these last few days.

10101010101

“Pirates did this?” the salarian Councilor asked skeptically.

“I uncovered rumors of a band of rogue pirates who wanted to start a war between the Terminus Systems and Citadel space. A small gang on Omega had ties to them, and they are what led me to their main base of operation. I eliminated them all and I can assure you one hundred percent that the threat has been taken care of,” Ryder reported.

“You're very sure of this,” Irissa said.

“I'm very thorough in my work.”

“True. You're one of our newest but most trusted agents. So this tip about Alenko?”

She shook her head. “If he's defied the odds and is somehow still alive, I found no signs. My theory is that Aria wanted me in Omega without telling me directly about the pirates. Perhaps because she didn't want the Citadel sending an army there. Though they were based out of Imorkan.”

“Hmm, that's possible. You needed to follow that lead but I think we all knew that Spectre Alenko is no longer of this galaxy sadly. We'll need a report of this for C-Sec's records. After you rest up. Good work, Ryder.”

“Thank you, Councilor.”

“You are dismissed.”

Ryder left the chambers and walked into the Presidium. She sat at a nearby bench overlooking the lake and called Nyssa. Luna sent a message to her hours ago to let her know she was safe and on her way home. But she found herself unable to divulge any details beyond that.

“Hey, babe. Are you back?” Nyssa said the moment she answered.

“Yeah, I'm sitting by the lake right now. Are you at work? Want to meet me at home?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. I'll be there soon.”

“Okay. I'm gonna catch a cab then. See you.”

Ryder arrived at the apartment, took a quick shower, and waited on the couch for her girlfriend. She didn't need to wait long. Nyssa came in and put a bag down before hugging Luna tightly.

“I wasn't gone _that_ long,” Ryder laughed, though she held on just as strongly.

“Be quiet. I was worried. Are you okay? Your face.”

Ryder pulled back. “It was a hell of a fight, but I'm fine. This is nothing.” She gestured towards the bag on the table. “What's that?”

“Oh. I stopped to get you food. Who knows the last time you've eaten.”

It was then that Ryder realized how hungry she was. They moved to the kitchen and once Luna had a big plate of food in front of her, she retold the story—the actual truth—of what she found at that station. Aria and Nyssa were the only others who would know the real story of Kaidan Alenko's disappearance and how deep his pain had run.

Nyssa didn't like the thought of lying to the Council either but she too agreed that what would happen if the story broke would be awful. Humanity would be blamed, people would accuse Ryder too unfit to be a spectre...and Luna didn't want Kaidan to be remembered that way.

This wasn't the scenario she hoped for, but Shepard and Kaidan were reunited once more. She wondered if they were traveling amongst the stars together, invisibly watching the billions of people they had saved a decade ago. Or maybe they weren't, maybe they were finally just at peace.

10101010101

Months had passed since the incident at Imorkan. C-Sec closed the case and the press eventually died down. Everyone had moved on. Ryder was as dedicated as ever to be the best spectre she could be, to help everyone she could, to make the memory of Cal and Kaidan proud. They'd given her a lot to live up to but she was determined to continue their legacy.

She was currently on her way to the Council Chambers. They called her in to brief her on the details of a very important and extensive mission. It was her first job since returning from a month long vacation with Nyssa—half the time in Thessia, the other half with all her family on Earth. It'd been fun and just what they needed, but now she was ready to get back to work.

“Hello, Ryder,” Irissa greeted when she arrived.

“Morning, Councilors. You have another mission for me?”

“Yes, and one of the utmost importance. Ryder, we're sending you to the Andromeda galaxy.”


End file.
